The Power of Love
by gargz
Summary: "Finn's shoulders start to shake and Kurt realizes he's crying. Finn doesn't acknowledge his brothers presence, instead whips the tears from his face. "I'm doing the right thing." He says trying to convince himself. "Right?" He says turning to his brother." Takes place right after Rachel gets on the train. 3x22


**I made the mistake of watching the last 7 minutes of Goodbye, this is what came from that.  
**

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Kurt watches as his brother chases down the train his pace slowly dwindling when he realizes he can't run any longer. Once the train is no longer in sight everyone starts to slowly make their way back to their cars.

Blaine puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder telling him to go speak to his brother. Kurt hesitates for a couple more seconds. Instead he watches his brothers rigid frame looking out into the distance. He wants to give Finn time alone before he tries to comfort him. Except he doesn't know how or what to say.

Finn's shoulders start to shake and Kurt realizes he's crying. Finn doesn't acknowledge his brothers presence, instead whips the tears from his face. "I'm doing the right thing." He says trying to convince himself. "Right?" He says turning to his brother.

Kurt doesn't look up at him because if he does he's going to see eyes pleading with him to agree. The problem is he doesn't agree, not really. He doesn't like that Finn is joining the army and an even bigger part of him thinks his brother is being selfish, putting his life in danger and letting Rachel go.

"I...I can't answer that for you Finn." Kurt says softly, the truth is he's cried so much these past couple of days. Finn told him first of his plan to send Rachel on her way and they fought and they cried, Kurt desperate for Finn to reconsider.

Finn sighs, "But she needs the chance to achieve greatness, I couldn't hold her back from that." Neither of them say anything they just stand silently looking at the now empty track.

"She would've achieved greatness no matter where she was." Kurt says softly. "But she needed you to be there with her, now she's alone again." He can feel Finn's shoulder's shake against his and knows the truth of what he just said hurt Finn but it's the truth.

A lot can change in a month for instance, he didn't get into NYADA so he's signed up for classes at Lima's local college while doing co-op for Mr. Schue. Finn's out at Fort Georgia doing his basic training whatever that entails, Finn won't talk about it. He keeps in touch with Rachel texting as regularly as one can with a full course load in singing, dancing and acting. He knows she's enjoying it all, its hard work but Rachel is used to working hard. They don't talk about Finn, there would be no point he knows she doesn't really want to know and he really doesn't know anything to tell her.

He walks into his bedroom and is surprised to see an envelope addressed to him from Rachel sitting on his bed. They don't send letter to each other, that's why there's email. It has some weight to it when he lifts it off his bed and cradles it in his hands. The weight shifts from side to side and when he squeezes the right corner of the white envelope he knows what's inside.

He sits down and opens the letter, its addressed to him so he knows she didn't make a mistake.

_I love him you know how much I love him. But its hard being here in New York when all of my dreams for the last year have evolved around **us** being here together. I know everyone thought it was just a High School love and in the beginning it was but that changed. _

_It's not fair you know, to have to choose between love and your future they should just go together, __**for me **__they did, or were supposed too. He said that if its real, if we're meant to be then we'll find our way back to each other. I was stupid I told him I wasn't 100% sure that I wanted to be married, but it had nothing to do with him. I am and always will be 100% sure that he is the one I want to marry. I would suggest you let him know that...but it doesn't matter he let me go, let us go._

_I can't hold onto the ring any more, it hurts too much. It actually hurts even more when I look down at my hand and it looks so empty. But its for the best, even the thought of it sitting in my drawer hurts. You can do with it what you want, I don't think it matters anymore._

_I am surrendering like he told me too, please don't hate me for that. I want to live my life without regrets but more so I want to live it without so much pain. I beg and yearn for him every night and when I'm alone that's fine. But I'm not alone I'm surrounded by hundreds of people all looking for the same thing, it's time I start too._

_I love you Kurt. You changed my life for the better._

_Love,_

_Rachel Berry_

He whips the tears from his cheeks while holding the abandoned ring in his hand. He isn't sure what to do with it either. It will break Finn's heart to know that she's given it back, it breaks his heart. So instead he finds a chain, loops the ring through the hole and places it around his neck. He hinds it under his shirt so know one will see but also because he wants it too be close to someones heart.

Finn's not exactly part of the army so things work a little differently, like now he's given the weekend off before he starts the second half of his training. Carole and Burt are so happy to have him home that he's sure Carole hasn't stopped crying.

He's sitting at his vanity putting on his after shower lotion when Finn walks into his room asking if he has AA batteries for his x-box controller. Kurt tells him to check his bedside table then turns back to his vanity. At first he can hear Finn rustling through his drawer like a mad man but after a few seconds everything is silent.

He turns around too see Finn sitting on his bed holding a necklace with a ring on the end. His hand instantly flies up to his collar bone to feel for the familiar chain that's been hanging there for the past month and a half. His heart starts to beat really quickly because its not there, he takes it off when he showers.

He can't tell what Finn is feeling until he turns towards him with the chain dangling from his clenched fist. "Why do you have this?" Finn's eyes are hardened and angry but Kurt doesn't know what to say. Suddenly Finn's 6'4 frame is directly in front of him and for the first time Kurt's scared of his brother.

"Why do you have this Kurt!" This time Finn yells. Kurt instantly jumps and tries to move away from the large boy but Finn is faster grabbing his arm and forcing his little brother to face him. "Dammit Kurt! Why do you have this!" Finn yells again and this time Kurt jumps.

"Because Rachel gave it too me!" Kurt yells back, his anger and fear mixed into one loud shout. Finn can't take his eyes off the ring, "But it's hers I gave it too her. Why would she give it back?" Kurt's heart breaks at how little Finn's voice sounds, how broken he sounds.

"Maybe...maybe she's trying to move on." Finn's head snaps in Kurt direction a look of hurt and betrayal evident. "But...but...why..." Finn doesn't finish his sentence.

"Because you told her too." Instantly Finn's tall frame crumbles to the bed. He's rocking back and forth, head in his hands. He's mumbling something but Kurt can't make it out. Instead of trying to comfort him he grabs the letter she wrote him from his desk and hands it too his brother. Finn silently takes it and leaves his room.

He knows Finn's left when he hears and feels the front door being slammed shut. He calls saying he won't be home for dinner that he needs time to think. When he returns home his parents are asleep but Kurt is up reading.

Finn walks into the room and hands him the ring and the letter back. Kurt tells him he can keep the ring but Finn refuses saying it doesn't belong to him. He wants Kurt to keep it and places the chain over his brothers head. "It will be safer with you." He whispers then walks out.

It's just before Thanksgiving when he receives an email from Rachel. She writes that she is finally given a chance to sing a solo, she's chosen a song and recorded it off her Mac. She wants Kurt to listen to it and give her constructive but honest feedback. She says its a rough cut but nothing else. She doesn't name the song or the theme but its Rachel and she doesn't need a theme she just needs a song.

He clicks the Sound cloud and instantly recognizes the song. He laughs because its so typical of Rachel to choose Celine. _The Power of Love_ is probably one of Celine's hardest but greatest songs of all time. He's not even half way through the song before he starts crying, not just tears but actual sobs escaping from his mouth.

She's right its rough, he hears her voice crack a few times no doubt she's also crying. But she's Rachel and she sounds flawless. When the song ends and he's able to keep his tears at bay he hears the floor boards creek and looks up to see Finn standing at his door. He's leaning against the door frame, no doubt to keep him up as his shoulders shake and tears fall down his cheeks and land on the floor.

Kurt moves his laptop from his legs and places it on the bed. He slowly gets up and walks towards Finn still leaning against the door. He reaches for his collar and slowly pulls the chain with Rachel's ring from his neck and places it into Finn's hand. He closes his brothers fist over the object and kisses his forehead. The next day Finn is gone, back to base camp.

Carole is folding the laundry from the weekend when she asks Kurt if he can go and put Finn's clean close away. He takes the stack of t-shirts up the stairs and into Finn's room. He was just going to place them on the bed but he knows Carole will just get annoyed so he walks to Finn's dressers and opens the t-shirt drawer.

When he looks inside he sees that its practically empty, so is the one below it. He looks in the closet and sees the majority of his sweaters and jeans are also gone. Kurt knows that Finn doesn't need any of these 'civilian' clothes, he has a uniform. He starts looking around and notices all the picture frames with Rachel and Finn together are also gone from his desk. And when he looks under the bed he sees the shoe box that Finn keeps of his favorite things that have to do with Rachel is gone too.

Actually when he looks around the room it looks like Finn has grabbed everything important to him and moved. Kurt laughs he doesn't know what his brother is up too but he has a feeling Finn might find himself in a different city very soon.


End file.
